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Cheatsheet: Get the most out of Costco

21:50

Everybody loves shopping at Costco! But how do you get it right?

The idea of bulk shopping at Costco can be exhilarating for a shopaholic, or maybe you just live in a house with a lot of people. That way, it would be cost-effective to pay the annual membership of 60 dollars for entrance fee and cost-savings all year round. I tried getting in without a card the first-time, and I got promptly rejected at the door. Security's real tight around here even at a supermarket! But how do you make it worth it?

Shelves and shelves of goods in massive boxes. You've got to get 36 energy bars at one go, and an entire 1kg bag of carrots. There's no way around it otherwise you can't get it cheap enough to make it worthwhile. By the way, you have to finish the food before expiry date hits otherwise it'd be better off buying groceries at QVM. Here's another tip about Costco prices (seen on WeChat user PropertyLinked, translated and edited by me). This is ranked from the least to the most worthy:

For products stamped with a price ending with .99, this is the original selling price with no discounts. Nonetheless, it could still be a steal because you are buying in bulk at Costco.

For prices ending with .97, this might be the one you are looking for. This refers to products that will not be restocked after it is sold out, and therefore it can be considered a pretty good price as it has been marked down by the vendors.

The .49s or .89s or .79s refer to the vendors' discounted price. It points to a situation in which the manufacturer is doing some market analysis for the product, and therefore will be cheaper than the times in which they are officially launched by Costco.

If you catch sight of the .00, it suggests that the product is about to be sold out and that the merchants are clearing stock desperately to make space for incoming products.

If you found an asterisk, it is the best deal you can ever get for that product because it is the absolute lowest price possible. If it is a combination of a .97 AND an asterisk, grab the opportunity because the manufacturer will not be producing the product anymore.

If you haven't heard of it yet... word also has it that instead of raising prices of products, companies are taking to reducing the quantity within the products to cut costs. An old method of preventing boycotts and angry loyal consumers, a lot of people let this slide because they just aren't looking closely enough. What you need to look for is unit price to keep tabs on how much the prices are fluctuating (or just inflating).

After all that grocery shopping at Costco, sit down for the absolutely most value-for-money meal in the entire city that potentially is the carbon copy marketing plan from Ikea's. Their cheap food court helps convince you that the rest of their products in the main store area has some cutthroat prices - but that's sometimes only in your mind. Well, what's for sure is that the food here is good and cheap. So that's where you should be headed:

Their all pork hot dog and a 590ml refillable soda is going at... AUD1.99. Like are you kidding me? It's definitely even lower than cost prices... I think. And hell yeah it tastes good. Mustard, chilli sauce - pack on those good stuff with the hot dog! It's giving Ikea some serious competition.

Mexican Style Beef Bake was every bit so sinful and delicious, with cheesy accents on the crispy bread layering and luscious meat sauce stuffed into it. I only wished I could have a bigger appetite because it can get very heavy after a while but share it with your friends! If it ain't enough, get another one ;) Or try making it at home with some of those ingredients you bought over at this wholesale supermarket.

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I share interesting episodes in life revolving around food, lifestyle, travel and inspirational ideas. If you would like to stay in touch, follow me on my Instagram on @spherepiece and Facebook page!